Arabian Nights 'neath Arabian Moons
by snheetah
Summary: After many attempts to bear children, the sultana adopts an orphan, Amira, from the marketplace. When Jasmine is born, Amira gets along well with Jasmine through their childhood, leading Amira to support her sister through every situation she goes through. As time passes, the more attention Jasmine gets, the more left out Amira becomes, and there is only one person she can turn to.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Aladdin**

 **Hello there everyone! First off, I want to say thank you to anyone who decided to check out this story. I have recently been watching "Aladdin" and it is becoming one of my favorite Disney movies at the moment. I have decided to give it a try with a fanfic and maybe others to come. If any of you feel that the characters are a bit OOC, please let me know, and any constructive criticism, please don't be shy...I don't bite XD So without any further ado, enjoy!**

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The strong blistering sun shined brightly through the marketplace of Agrabah as the citizens of the country went about their daily businesses. Every single bazaar was up and running for business. A man selling jewelry to a group of young women, a man selling an assortment of nuts next to the other, and another selling beautiful rugs.

Through the marketplace, a young woman walked about, admiring the new faces that she saw and the new items sold to each bazaar. She had been in the marketplace a good amount of times, but always in a peasant outfit that was made for her. She knew well enough that she couldn't walk out to the marketplace exposing herself as the Sultana of Agrabah to others. No matter how much she adores her people, she wouldn't want to create a swarm of them around her. Sometimes a sultana needed alone time to herself as well.

She approached a little bazaar that displayed an amount of crisp red apples. She found it truly amazing how the apples of Agrabah tasted delicious each time she bit into it.

She had to admit, these apples were more better than the ones she had back home when she was a little girl before being betrothed to the prince of Agrabah, who is now Sultan and especially the love of her life. The sultana always enjoyed his company, bringing a smile to her face whenever they were together and she was happy to have him. However, she was dismayed because no matter how much they tried, she was not able to bare a child. He was very patient with her but she was not patient with herself. She wished to have a child, a boy or even a girl for that matter, but she did not why she couldn't. At the thought of this, she believed that she was running out of time. Time that she could not take back! Time to produce an heir to the throne for Agrabah!

She let out a sigh as she walked away the bazaar and walked to another one. This particular bazaar beheld the beautiful carpets that bought a smile to her face. "Fine beautiful rugs imported from Persia!" the seller enthusiastically squawked as he looked at the woman before him. Her red plump lips tilted into a small smile at the mention of Persia. Her birthplace. How she missed it but she always made recent visits with her husband, leaving Agrabah temporarily under the hands of their trusted vizier. The sultana was quite impressed how he was able to keep Agrabah in peace whilst they were gone and she trusted him just as much as her husband did.

Moving away from the rugs, she decided to explore further from the marketplace. However, the further she went, the more dismayed she became. She came in the presence of the poor and the hungry. It made her feel upset as well as selfish. If she was not from royalty, would she be suffering the same way as these people were. Taking out some money from her pocket, she handed a couple of coins to a poor man out in the street.

"Oh how generous of you dear!" his dismayed face brightened up with joy at seeing the golden, well polished coins.

The sultana gave him a soft smile in returned and continued on. If only she and her husband had the power to give all of their wealth to these people but what about them? They were people too and they also needed that sort of wealth to survive. Not to mention that with that money, they also paid the guards, the servants, the clothes makers, and just about anyone that worked within the walls of the palace. Journeying more through Agrabah, her thoughts were cut short by a high pitched yell as she turned her head behind her to look.

Before her she noticed a little girl. From afar, the sultana squinted, seeing the tattered clothing that the child wore, barefoot as she ran through the scorching ground, and her eyes wide as if she was running away from something. And indeed she was! The sultana looked as a large man appeared before the girl, roughly grabbing her by the arm and pulled her back as she crashed against him. "Where do you think you're going?!" he roughly yelled at the small girl.

The sultana furrowed her eyebrows at the sudden treatment that she saw. What had gotten him so angry as to treat a child like that? Was he even her father?

"What have I told you about stealing from my bazaar?!" the large man bellowed, breathing deeply like an elephant.

 _Oh so she stole_ the sultana nodded her head. _But look at her, she is almost starving to death_. She wanted to step in, but her body couldn't move. Her arms and legs were all tense as she looked at the encounter between the man and the small girl. It wasn't until the man raised the back of his hand and the child immediately flinched as the sultana ran up to them.

"Stop!" she commanded, holding an arm out as protection in front of the small child.

The man raised an eyebrow at the woman before him, was this her mother? He did not care, the child had stolen something and had to be punished because of it. "Do you know the penalty is for stealing?!" he yelled at her.

The sultana took a step back away from the man but kept her ground and her chin up high. "Yes, I am aware but as you can see, this child does not have any money with her."

"That is not my concern," he eyed the woman, "money or not, she still stole from my bazaar!"

The sultana sighed at how stubborn this man was. "She did not know any better," she looks at him whilst reaching into the pocket of her garment, "here," she sets a couple of golden coins in the palm of his big hand. "I am sure that is enough to cover whatever this poor child stole."

"Hmph!" the man grunted as he turned his back and walked away from them.

After the man disappeared, the sultana turned around and looked at the little girl, who stared back at her with wide, shining black eyes. What she saw in them was mostly fear but within them, there was spirit. "Are you alright, darling?" her voice was gentle as she looked at the girl.

The girl did not reply but only nodded her head in return, not knowing whether she should trust this stranger or not. She immediately took a step back as the sultana approached her, curling into a little ball against the corner of the wall to get away from her as much as she could.

"Do not worry dear, I won't hurt you," the sultana held out her hand to her. She hated seeing how much the man had frightened this girl. She was almost skin and bones and he did not have the decency to allow her to get away with it. How selfish some people were! "What is your name, dear?" she smiled gently to her.

The little girl looked at her up and down, then at the smile that lingered on her lips. It made her feel a little bit comfortable but she was still cautious. "Amira..." she answered in a soft, meek voice.

The sultana smiled. "What a beautiful name...my name is Esther." She used her actual name towards this little girl.

The little girl's eyes brightened. "Esther...like the star," she smiled, reveling her small yellow-colored teeth.

Esther at the moment thought that the girl recognized her as the sultana but she was glad that she did not. She tried not to grimace at the sight of Amira's teeth, but with the conditions outside from the castle, she could not blame the child. "Where are your parents?"

The bright look in the little girl dimmed at the moment Esther said it. Amira lowered her head to the object she had in her hands, a crisp red apple, and tried her best not to cry. Esther assumed that either her parents abandoned her or were more likely dead. She reached out and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, feeling the slight shudder from the little girl. "How about I take you to a place that I think you will very much adore?" she smiles to her.

Curious, the little girl raised her eyes to the sultana, that same brightness coming within her eyes. "Yes please," she smiled.

"Come along then," she helped the child to her feet and escorted her through the marketplace to the one place that she promised her.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Aladdin**

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The Sultan walked through the halls of the palace, a peaceful smile upon his lips as he was greeted with the morning rays of the sun. When he awoke, he was surprised that he had not seen Esther in the bed that they shared. Usually when he awoke, he would see her brown chocolate eyes staring back at him with a soft smile on her face as she greeted him with her soft voice. He hoped to find her hopefully in the dining hall for breakfast. There was much he had to speak to her about, one of them being about an heir to the throne. The Sultan had been a bit disappointed that she could not bear children but that did not mean that he didn't love her. One idea that came upon him was possibly to have one of her nephews become the heir of Agrabah. Surely, he was trained well enough to be aware of the policies of his country and will learn such policies in Agrabah. Hopefully, Esther would be inclined to agree with him. It was better to have their minds at rest about this whole situation.

He took a left turn down the hall and opened the doors to the dining hall. To his surprise, he did not see his beloved sultana sitting there waiting for him. The breakfast was all laid out and ready for them but he wouldn't dare sit and eat without her. "Where could she be?" the Sultan asked himself, his eyes wandering about the room as if she was going to materialize in the room.

He let out a sigh and ventured out of the dining room, awaiting for her return as he walked into the gardens of the palace. The fountain was spewing out fresh water, the little white birds happily chirping in the cage, and the flowers facing towards the sun obtaining as much of it's rays as they could. He sat down by the waterfall, not knowing himself why he came out here in the first place? It seemed like a peaceful place to think. No maps sprawled across his desk and no stacks of messages from other countries. Not that he was dismissive of them, but even a sultan needed a day of rest.

His head suddenly perked up as he turned his head towards where the noise came from. It sounded like the doors of the palace had closed. Immediately, the Sultan jumped to his feet and ran inside the palace.

"Oh come now Razoul, I have a good reason why I bought her in the palace." The voice belonged to his wife and he was more than happy to hear it. But, why was she speaking with one of the palace guards? He looked up from the floor of the staircase where he noticed his wife in her outdoor robes and a young girl by her side.

"I do not mean to interfere Sultana but what is the Sultan going to say about this?" Razoul spoke softly to her.

Esther knew that her husband may hesitate at first about adopting this young girl from the marketplace, but what were they supposed to do? She wanted a child. She _needed_ a child and she was not going to let anyone take away this opportunity that came to her. She felt Amira gently squeezing her hand as she glued herself close to Esther's robes, looking at her surroundings of the palace in awe.

Curious to see who this little girl was, the Sultan walked down the staircase and approached his wife and Razoul. "My dearest Esther," he had a jolly smile upon his lips as Esther turned her head and looked at him with a bright smile of her own. He took her cheeks in his hands and planted a gentle kiss upon them. "Thank you Razoul, I shall take it from here," the Sultan smiled to the guard.

Razoul gave them both a nod of his head and turned on his heel, returning back to his duties.

With wide eyes, Amira watched as the guard disappeared within the hallway of the palace. "And who is this lovely young lady?" her eyes looked up at the Sultan as he looked down at her with a joyous smile. She was at a loss of words, not knowing how to act in front of this man. Amira was aware that the country was ruled by the Sultan but seeing him in front of her, she did not know whether to stay as she was or bow to him. However, Amira was very surprised when Esther took her here. Never did it cross her mind that the woman who was with her was the Sultana.

Esther looked at her husband and smiled. "Her name is Amira," as she said it, she gently stroked Amira's tangled hair and pulled her close to her, "a little girl I met at the marketplace."

The Sultan's lips titled into an every so gentle smile. "W-Well what is she doing here?"

Esther removed the garment that covered her ebony locks and let them fall across her shoulders. "I wish to speak about this with you after we have some breakfast," she nods her head to him. "It is an important matter, but first," she put her hands onto Amira's shoulders, "I want this little one to be taken care of at first. Wait here dear," she gave a gentle pat on the little girl's shoulders and walked past her and the Sultan.

The Sultan's eyes followed after his wife and turned his head back to Amira. Giving her another smile, he approached her. "Amira, that is a very lovely name."

"T-Thank you," she smiled, shyly looking up at him not knowing what else to say to him. "Y-You have a..." she was speaking too quietly which was not enough for the Sultan to hear.

"Speak up dear," he gently said to her.

"You have a nice palace," she spoke a little loud than last time but there was still a meek tone in her voice.

"Why thank you," he nodded his head to her, "it has been here for many generations."

Amira's eye widened, very curious now to know more about the palace. "Oh! I did not know that!" her lips then titled into a big smile, feeling a little comfortable now in the presence of the Sultan.

"Perhaps we can teach you more about it," he looked at her, the smile never fading from his lips.

"I would like that," she giggled, her eyes shining at the thought of it.

Suddenly, a voice from the hall was heard as both Amira and the Sultan looked to see Esther approaching them with a servant by her side. "Well, well, it is good to see you two get along." Esther walked over to Amira and looked at the servant, "Abia, I want you to set up a warm bath for Amira. I want her spick and span."

The servant, Abia, nodded her head to the sultana and held out her hand towards Amira. The young child looked at it and looked up at Esther.

"Go on dear," Esther gave her a reassuring smile as Amira hesitantly put her hand upon the servant's. Abia gave her a smile and led her away from the Sultan and sultana as Amira turned her head to look at them as she took a turn and watched them disappear.

Once Amira disappeared, the Sultan turned his attention to Esther. "What is all of this dear?"

Esther nodded her head to her husband. "I was out in the marketplace to get a breath of the morning air and see what was up and about in the marketplace."

"Next time dear," he teasingly wagged his index finger to her, "tell me where you go. I was scared to death for you."

Esther chuckled at her husband's response. "I can take care of myself, you needn't worry about me. Then, I saw this man chasing Amira. The girl had taken an apple to eat and she did not have any money."

"She stole from one of the bazaar's?" the Sultan's eyes widened. "Why would you bring a thief in the palace?"

"I am not finished, dear," Esther looked at him, "I do not care that she stole just one apple from him. The girl is practically skin and bones. I thought she was going to be snapped in half for he was about to strike her. I did not stand to see such a thing happen. I stopped him before he were to do it!"

"He could have hurt you!" the Sultan's eyes were wide as she described the event.

"If it meant saving her, then I would have sacrificed myself from getting a strike," she looked at her husband, "but the girl is an orphan. She has no one to care for her and...oh this is going to sound silly, but I felt a connection with her."

"Connection?" the Sultan raised a brow as he looked at her.

"As in I had to care for her, that is why I took her in," she looked at her husband with a smile on her lips. The Sultan opened his mouth to say something but Esther quickly intervened. "You know that I am not able to bear children, my dear husband. I was supposed to have one by now, almost five years ago. Our child would have been five now, learning from tutors and the way of the palace life. Amira is five herself and it shall take time for her to adjust but we have the best tutors for her."

She had practically answered every question that the Sultan was about to ask her. He still was a bit uneasy about Amira stealing from the bazaar but hopefully she would learn the right of way whilst living in the palace. "How will she be a proper queen then when she grows into a woman?"

"She will learn," Esther simply answered, "no one is unintelligent my dear. I know that inside of her, she is a smart young girl," she smiles to her husband as her eyes look up and see Amira. "She is here."

The Sultan turned around and looked at Amira. Her brown hair was combed and straight, the dirt was removed from her cheeks, her nails cut, and a she possessed a new wardrobe. The clothes fit loosely around her body but Esther knew that all she needed was some fattening up. "Thank you Abia," she smiles to her as she gave her a bow in return.

Once Abia left, Esther looked at Amira. "Look at you! You're glowing!" she took Amira into a gentle hug, "you must be hungry my dear. How about some breakfast, what do you say?"

Amira nodded her head in response as she waited for the Sultan and Esther to take her there. The Sultan held out his hand over to Esther as she gently put her hand upon his, leading them to a blue door. Esther opened the door and they were presented to the dining hall, where the food was set and ready for them. Amira's eyes widened at what she saw. Never before had she seen such scrumptious food before and looking at them, without knowing, she licked her tiny lips and her stomach began to rumble.

Esther chuckled. "Let's all sit down and eat."

Without hesitation, Amira ran over to a chair, pulled it away from the table, and crawled into it. The Sultan looked over at Esther with a disapproving look. He knew that this girl was young but she needed some discipline but Esther just dismissed his look and chuckled. _She will learn_ she thought as she and her husband joined her to the table.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Aladdin**

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To Sultana Esther's view, Amira was someone who needed someone to care for her. Of course she realized that things would be very difficult to do now that she and her husband had a child in their hands but to her, nothing was impossible. She was willing to do it and do it right. However, there was one thing that bothered her when she remembered that pained look that Amira had when asked about her parents. Could she have been possibly lost and didn't know the way? Esther did not want to believe that she had accidentally kidnapped this child from her parents. What would the people of Agrabah say about that? After all, ever since Esther bought Amira to the palace, she had not cried one bit. She smiled as she watched Amira finish the food on her plate and spoon in for seconds.

 _Quite the appetite this little one_ Esther smiled as she forked some food in her mouth. She felt the gentle hand of her husband as he bought it upon her hand and looked at her. She softly turned her head to him and smiled.

"Are you sure about this dearest?"

Esther cleaned her lips with the tablecloth and gently nodded her head to him. She did not utter a word, not when Amira was in the room. She did not want to give this child the impression that they did not want her here for Esther herself _did_ want her. "Later my dear," she smiled to her husband and patted his hand, reassuring him that they were going to have a discussion about this soon.

Just then, Amira let out a sigh as she leaned back against her chair and looked at her plate. "Too much food."

Esther chuckled as she took a sip of her wine from her goblet. "I see that you enjoyed yourself."

Amira enthusiastically nodded her head and smiled brightly to the Sultana and the Sultan as she folded her hands on her lap and looked at the both of them, as if waiting for them to finish their food or having them tell her what else to do. Just then, her eyes began to travel around the room that she was in, truly admiring everything from the drapes to the silken cloths, and the jewelry and decorations that surrounded the palace. However, there was one question that she was curious to know as she looked at the two adults in front of her. "Have you any kids?" her brown eyes shined at the question, hoping for a "yes."

 _Now we do_ Esther thought when Amira asked them such a question, but she knew that wash't the answer. She felt her husband gently squeeze her hand as she looked at him but then back at Amira. "No dear," she shook her head to her.

"Oh," Amira was crestfallen, "that's too bad. I have a brother and sister."

At this, Esther's eyes grew wide. So she _still_ had family out there and _she_ had taken her away from them. She rested her elbow on the table and her and the tips of her fingers as she mentally cursed herself for doing such a deed.

"But now..." Amira shook her head and swallowed, "they're gone."

Esther softly blinked at those last words. "Where have they gone to dear?" Maybe they had left home but were still in Agrabah. Esther wanted to make sure about this.

Amira looked down at her hands again, avoiding their eyes for a mere few seconds. "Th-These men came into our house..." she bit her tongue and still avoided their eyes as Esther and the Sultan looked at her in horror and curiosity as Amira continued her tale.

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 _It had been two days after the incident that Amira had run away from home and was on the streets of Agrabah. She remembered her brother, sister, mother, and father together in their_ _home. Her mother busy cooking whilst Amira happily played with her brother and sister._

 _Her father was out in the streets of Agrabah selling fresh fruit to the citizens of Agrabah. He was in the best of moods as he had made plenty of sales on the fresh fruits that he sold, making enough money to support his family. Closing up his bazaar for the night, he took his bag of coins that he had made and was walking home in the moonlight. His home was not very far from where he was, but he did not notice a shadow lurking behind him, following him home._

 _The moment Amira's father walked into the door, he got his usual greeting from his wife and children. He set the bag of coins on the table right by the doorway and joined his family for dinner. The moment that he sat down and lifted his fork to eat, their home was suddenly raided._

 _A group of four men, three carrying swords entered within their home taking every item that they sought was valuable. Amira's father had his arms wrapped around the bag of coins, protecting them from the thieves but his attempts were futile against them. Amira's mother was screaming and protecting them from the thieves. Before Amira knew it, her mother let out a scream when she saw her husband speared with one of the thief's swords._

 _Amira's eyes widened at what she saw, tears escaping her eyes and anger_ _boiling through her veins. "FATHER NO!" she tried to run, but was held back by her mother. They couldn't stay in the house. Her mother gave Amira, her brother, and sister a strong push towards the door. The thieves looked at the three children heading towards the door but the mother immediately got in their way. She hoped that her distraction was enough for her children to escape for before she knew it, she felt a pain rush through her abdomen and everything turning black._

 _The leader of the thieves was enraged. With the children running through Agrabah, they were bound to tell someone what_ _had happened and he did not want to face the consequences. With a growl, he turned to his men, "find those children and do away with them!"_

 _With a nod of their heads, the thieves obeyed their leader's orders. Once out of sight, the leader turned his attention back to the bodies that lied upon the floor, his eyes mostly focused upon the male. He had a very long history with this man. Not only as a fellow citizen of Agrabah, but also as a brother by blood. Approaching him, the thief approached the body of his brother and sneered at it. "All this could have been avoided...brother...if you had never turned your back on me."_

 _Just then, he heard a soft whimper as he turned around to see who it was. Hiding behind the curtains from the window was one of the unlucky children that had not managed to escape. Walking up to the curtains, he pulled them back and smiled maliciously to see who it was. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my niece Amira," he gland down at her._

 _Amira had no knowledge about this man nor why he would even call her his 'niece.' He had a very pudgy stature, truly husky around the stomach, and facial hair. Her father had never mentioned him to her before but now was not the time for her to start asking questions. She should have run out with her brother and sister when she had the chance. In one swift motion, she bolted for the doorway but slammed against the man, who claimed was her uncle, as he held her by the back of her shirt collar._

 _"Oh no," he shook his head as she squirmed in her grip, "you're not going anywhere!" He put his arm across her and held her tightly by the shoulder. Before he knew it, Amira clamped her teeth upon his hand. "YEOWCH!" the man yelled and released his grip on Amira as she bolted out the door. "You little brat get back here!" she heard his screams but she never looked back and ran as quickly as her feet could carry her._

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Amira did her best to explain the event that she had gone through, as she finished by looking at both the Sultan and sultana. The two adults were speechless when Amira finished her story. Esther found it relieving that a mere child was able to escape from the clutches from such thieves and truly abysmal that the man who claimed was her uncle would do such a thing to his brother and family. Esther regretted asking Amira about where her siblings had run off to. She did not want Amira to relieve such a moment but now that it was all out, she felt a relief that she now knew. Even though there was an assumption that Amira still had a family member out there, she was not going to put her under the care of her uncle, not after what he had done.

She slowly shook her head and looked at Amira with a small, gentle smile. "You are safe here dear. Nothing will happen to you."

At her words, Amira nodded. She had trust to the sultana and she very much felt safe here. "But why did you bring me here?"

"We shall tell you all in good time my dear," Esther smiles to her. "You have had a bit of a rough morning. Take your mind off it. How about I show you the lovely garden that we have?"

At this, Amira's eyes widened and nodded her head. "Yes please."

"That's the spirit!" Esther smiled widely as she turned to look to her husband. "Are you coming dear?"

"Gladly," the Sultan smiled as he set his fork down on the plate and jumped off of his seat, following Amira and Esther as they headed out into the garden.


End file.
